OWINGS MILLS, Md. — It’s that time of year again. It's Eric DeCosta’s favorite time of year: draft time.
"We have approximately 200 players ranked on the draft board, as draftable prospects, which is a very strong, healthy number," said the Ravens General Manager. "Excited about the opportunity that lies ahead of us."
DeCosta, Head Coach John Harbaugh and Director of Player Personnel Joe Hortiz dished on the draft in on Monday during their annual pre-draft press conference. The Ravens currently hold seven picks including the 27th overall in the first round. All agree depth is a strength of this year's prospect pool.
"This is a good draft," said DeCosta. "We see a lot of talented players at the starter level, potentially."
Like at wide receiver. It’s no secret that the Ravens could use a new young, No. 1 wideout. They’ve been linked to LSU’s Terrace Moore and Minnesota’s Rashod Bateman.
"You’ve got a bunch of guys in the first three rounds that really can come in and compete to be significant players for you early on," said DeCosta.
Another need for the Ravens is edge rusher.
"It’s a strong draft I think with edge pass rushers, across the board, basically in any round," added the GM.
In non-draft news, regarding a potential contract extension for quarterback Lamar Jackson, DeCosta described the talks as 'ongoing' and 'fluid'.
"I think Lamar is obviously a very patient guy. He wants to be the best he can be. He wants this team to be the best it can be and he wants to win very badly. So, we’re aligned in that way. I’m confident that we’ll continue to discuss this and I think at some point hopefully we'll have some good news for everybody."
DeCosta also chose not to comment on the Orlando Brown situation. The Ravens’ pro bowl tackle has expressed his desire to be traded for the opportunity to play left tackle elsewhere.
Back to the draft, this year’s three day event is getting back to some sort of normalcy for the Ravens' front office. After a year of remote drafting from their homes, they’ll be back together at the team facility. DeCosta said it will be more of a traditional setup.
Follow Shawn Stepner on Twitter @StepnerWMAR and Facebook
